PHOTO BY GARRY BRANDENBURG — A House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) enjoys a sunflower seed as its bill works to snap the hull open to gain access to the contents inside. House finches are common year round birds at feeder stations. Note this bird’s sizable beak and long head. Also note the orangish-reddish coloration of its head and chest. If you have this coloration of a finch, the chances of it being a House Finch are quite high. As for its look-alike cousin, the Purple Finch, they are more migratory, and have lost territory to House Finch domination. Tail shapes are different also. Close scrutiny with good bird book identification annotations are required.

House finches are a sparrow sized bird, with typical sparrow-like coloration on its back and sides. However, the head and chest of male House finches are quite distinct.

This finch species was originally a bird associated with western United States and Mexico. In 1940, a small number were turned loose in New York, after attempts to keep them as “caged birds” failed.

Tired of trying, some people let them go to try and survive on their own. They did, and now this finch is established in all of the eastern parts of the United States.

Population estimates peg House Finches at a staggering one billion! Even in Hawaii, this species was introduced in 1870 and by 1901 had established itself on all the Hawaiian Islands. The diet of house finches helps explain part of their success. Plant foods exclusively make up the sources from seeds, buds, and fruits.

Wild foods may include mustard seeds, knotweed, thistle, mulberry, poison oak, cactus and others. Orchard growers do not appreciate this bird’s taste for cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, blackberries and figs. At feeders they will eat black oil sunflowers, even striped sunflower seeds, millet and milo.

Reddish coloration of male House Finches is due to the foods they eat, specifically pigment within those foods. The more pigment within foods, the more reddish the bird will appear. Females prefer to mate with males showing high degrees of red feathers. This trait is in part a guarantee of the male to be an excellent provider of food to the female and nestlings.

Enjoy viewing this bird species this winter. Come Spring and summer, it will still be around to nest, to sing and to consume bird seeds.

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January is here, and so begins a new year that we humans call 2023. It is a fascinating month both from a historical and astronomical point of view.

Day lengths are getting longer. By the end of January we will see days almost one hour longer than today. We will go from 9 hours and 10 minutes to 9 hours and 58 minutes.

Sunrise goes from 7:38 to 7:25 a.m. This is not a lot, but it is progress. Sunsets will get later, going from 4:49 to 5:23 p.m.

Earth’s orbit around the sun will have us at the closest distance on Jan. 4. That distance is only 91,403,554 miles!

Astronomers call this Perihelion. Still the fact remains that earth’s southern hemisphere is enjoying its summer time and warmest months right now as the sun’s rays are more direct for them than for us.

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My 2022 Year in the Rear View Mirror tells of a wide host of topics I covered in these editions of Outdoors Today. January 2022 noted Bald Eagles more than once. Perhaps it was the statewide Eagle count activity, or just seeing these magnificent critters.

In February, I noted the upcoming migration can collection of Sandhill Cranes that will take place along the Platte River in Nebraska. They slowly build in concentrations of about 1 million. Locally, a few Sandhills will soon return to their wetland habitats. On Feb. 20 of last year, I wrote about public land facts in Iowa. It was worth it in part because these facts are not common knowledge to average folks.

And since fact based information that I can back up with references is what I like to do, do take note that conservation dedicated lands make up about one percent of Iowa’s acres. Iowa has 55,857.13 acres between its borders. Those conservation dedicated lands have an average CSR rating of 32, a very low index compared to top level agricultural lands.

When March rolled around, I noted the inevitable return of ducks and geese as the urge to migrate northward is their primary concern. Their arrival is a good sign that the spring season will not be far away.

And on a funny, and sad note, I repeated information about the myth that the Iowa DNR had introduced and stocked mountain lions into the state at night using black helicopters. Well, this myth is just that, a huge myth.

So I said “anyone who says that they heard that DNR wildlife staff had stocked cougars via black helicopters at night is flat out wrong, misinformed, gullible and guilty of smoking their sweaty socks.” Let’s get real, folks, and stick with facts.

April saw the return of Great Blue Herons to their rookeries. White Pelicans were spectacular in their flights and local appearances. Bluebirds returned, and hunters once again pursued wild turkeys with bows/arrows or shotguns.

Earth Day was celebrated to draw attention to practical and economically viable things we all can do to be more responsible stewards, and in that same vein, I noted that every day is ‘Earth Day.’ I emphasized that I do not subscribe to the notion that doom and gloom (scare tactics mostly) will result in the end of earth in 10 or 12 years.

Since politicians like to flap their jaws about many things to grab headlines, facts remain that dispel their misinformation attempts. It is never too late to turn on one’s truth detector antennae, to learn the truth through diligent research.

If April showers bring May flowers, then May did not disappoint. Columbine flowers graced woodland floors. Morel mushrooms poked their tasty morsels out of the ground.

I was able to photograph a Great Blue Heron catching and swallowing a goldfish at Riverside Cemetery. I also obtained pictures of an Orchard Oriole and Baltimore Oriole at my feeder Station. I reviewed natural history museums I have visited and encouraged readers to place these unique sites on their own bucket list of places to see and learn from.

In Iowa, a host of geologically important sites are available. Included is the outlet at Coralville Lake near Iowa City, with its Devonian age rocks telling stories of life long ago.

By June, new white tailed deer fawns were being born. Their spotted coats help conceal them from predators.

An all white squirrel in Union was observed. Thanks again to Nathan Bernard for allowing me to use his image in one of my stories. I noted snapping turtles and garter snakes making their way to make a living.

Tree leaves were for the most part fully formed and undergoing the photosynthesis process of turning sunlight into sugars. Warm air temperatures have largely replaced memories of cold temps last winter.

July ushered in hot weather, a normal happening for Iowa. I helped educate readers about Earth facts — specifically, Johannes Kepler’s findings about the orbital shapes of the planets, and Milutin Milankovich did not get left out as he is noted for calculations of the solar energy changes and balances that create Earth/Sun relationships that are the real reason for every geologic past, present, and future climate mood swings that earth has or will ever endure.

August’s hot and dry weather persisted, so I used photos of the Iowa River in very low flow rates to lead into a discussion of past weather events over many decades. I was able to find data of other times when lack of timely rains negatively impacted lots of folks.

However, I also found times when overabundant rain events flooded the Iowa River, and other Midwest streams, to devastating proportions. Mother Nature plays her trick card hands whenever she wants to let us know who is in charge.

Another theme during August stories was a quick analysis of carrying capacity, how many critters can the land support. It is an interesting concept that keeps biologists working to balance wants and needs.

September stories featured fishing trips by local folks to Lake Michigan, Lake of the Woods in Minnesota, and Sand Lake. I had a feature story on poisonous plants that brought to light many things we may not have known.

Fall migration of shorebirds and some waterfowl species are underway, way ahead of any cold weather. Pheasant numbers continue to rebound locally.

Biologists for upland game birds take due diligence note of parameters such as how much snow fell last winter, how much rain came in the spring and spring air temperature trends to help evaluate fall population estimates.

October 2022 had us saying goodbye for another year to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the first few days of this month. Hunting seasons for the fall are beginning. Deer will be the focus of archers.

Tree leaf color will peak mid month as sunlight time dwindles downward. I related the story of how the Mann Wetlands acquisition came about and how the Marshall County Conservation Board was successful in obtaining a grant to help cover the costs.

This floodplain land project has much going for it now, and will have enhancement habitat work elements planned for many years in the future. Sandhill Cranes are just one of many special and unique species that find the area a good living place.

November had a special story about bullsnakes. Several large mature snakes were photographed by Don Hays near his home northwest of Albion. One was six feet long, and the other two were only five feet long.

Pheasants Forever members from Marshall and Tama County joined forces again to hold a successful banquet and fundraiser event. The money they secured will be dedicated to habitat projects on the ground. My column numbers have grown so that number 1,600 came on Nov. 20.

I noted the fun I have illustrating conservation topics with words and photographs. Any natural history related subject is fair game for me. I love science and I love facts.

December features included deer hunts by women. Nationally, the number of women hunters continues to grow.

The Christmas Bird Count resumed in Marshall County. Teams of observers fanned out across the county to come up with 44 species. Not bad for a very cold winter day.

Three Bridges County Park got noted for its new suspension bridge. The former foot and trail bridge was destroyed by the high wind event of two years ago. And lastly, John N. Garwood’s unique ‘First Christmas Story’ was reprinted along with my tribute to Garwood upon his passing in 1992.

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Happy New Year to all the treasured readers of Outdoors Today for your best 2023. May you enjoy nature, natural moments, and keen observations of all the plant and animal life that help make our lives so special all year long.

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Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at:

P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005